Okay, gotcha. I never played the 5200 version either (didn't even know there was one), but I've always liked the 2600 game.

Comparing the game to other versions on other consoles, if you've played them, might also be something to add to your reviews. Nothing too in-depth, but like in this case, noting that this version is worse than the 2600 due to the controls.

Activision&Imagic games really pushed the 2600's hardware to beyond it's limits; while their 5200 ports had little care put into them. 5200 ports were (perhaps) gaming history's first case of straight-dump/lazy-ports.

...it wasn't just the 5200, Activision games for almost ALL non-2600 formats (INTV, Colecovision & computers) looked pretty much identical to the VCS games. There WERE a couple of exceptions-like 5200 Pitfall2 had a whole second level, and 5200 River raid had baloons, tanks and different scenery. But most games had only slight background improvements, if that! -I don't think it was so much being LAZY, though, as NOT wanting to outshine the 2600 too much, since that was the system that made them their fortune. One exec was quoted as saying the purpose of translations was simply "to bring the game to X system, a game that people would otherwise not be able to play!"

Zenzerotron, how can ANY system be pushed beyond it's limits. Technically impossible. What you mean is that Activision managed to create games that are technically excellent and beyond what many thought possible.

Yeah Yeah John-boy, I won't mention a game like "Pitfall 2" which had the special sound-chip inside of it, because it was techincally impossible for the Atari 2600 to produce music/sound like that on it's own........

Zen, you beat me again! Pitfall 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Starfox and Virtua racing (Genesis) were all games "impossible" to do on the systems as they were; special hardware had to be added to the carts to make them work! CBS's RAM-plus chip games for the 2600 are in this catagory as well. You can say a game goes beyond the systems ability if special add-ons or hardware are needed to play them.